Sorry it’s been a while since my last post, but Easter break combined with preparation for finals right after it left me little time for blogging. I hope I can make up for that with pictures of my break!
Easter break was a month this semester, which was an invitation from the Continent saying: Come visit me! Well, I did, and I am so glad for the opportunity. I went to Guernsey (Channel Island in the UK), St. Malo (France), Paris, Strasbourg (France), Luzern (Switzerland), Innsbruck (Austria), Vienna, Munich, Tuebingen (Germany), and Berlin. Such a fun time, but maybe I spent too much money… Oh well!
Pictures later, but first I want to brief you on exams. Studying for exams is called Revision, and supposedly you are supposed to start during break. We had two weeks after break before exams (except for my German projects), but it would be a good idea to start your essays before or around the end of break. I had two essays for one class due on the same day, with each counting 50% of my grade. Then, two weeks later I had a paper due for another class that was 100% of my grade. Talk about stressful! On the same day that paper was due, I had an exam for a different class. Now I just have one left on the 28th of May and I’ll be all done!
Don’t slack off in your classes because you’ll wish you hadn’t during Revision!
Now, for the pictures:
GuernseyGuernseyGuernseySt. MaloNotre Dame, ParisLuzernInnsbruckInnsbruckViennaMunichTuebingenBerlinBerlin (Topography of Terror)
So it’s now Easter break! I have successfully made it through the first two months of my semester, and I have lots to tell.
So if you’re wondering how things will be once you get past the newness and really get settled in, it’s much like the daily grind at CofC. What I mean by that is that you already know what it’s like to do schoolwork every day.
200 Degrees is one of the best coffee shops in Nottingham
The structure is a bit different. For one your lectures (you usually don’t have to do any work for these), which you probably have once a week, are interspersed with seminars. For seminars, you will likely have to do multiple readings and (depending on your professor) present something once or twice a semester. Seminars are smaller than lectures, so you can have more dialogue with the professors.
Chinatown, London night before Chinese New YearChinese New YearBuckingham Paace
The bulk of your work will be reading for seminars, so don’t leave it until the night before. It’s really important to keep track of due dates. You might have a paper (like me) due right before break. Since the paper is usually about 50% of your grade, professors expect you to try hard. Start looking up material plenty beforehand. It’s not uncommon to go to office hours to discuss ideas, but it gets busier the closer to the due date.
Roman Baths in BathAlley in Bath
Once your paper is done, you get to enjoy a nice long break! Ours is from 3/19 to 4/15. Like I said, make sure of due dates because you don’t want to get back from break and find out you have another paper due or an exam soon. Many Brits use the break primarily for studying, but I would say you are fine going off for 2 weeks, no problem.
Street in Cambridge
If I was going to choose advice to give at this halfway stage, it’d be this: take advantage of places to see in the UK (order your schedule to have no Friday classes), especially through deals with Societies (clubs), but also enjoy Nottingham too.
Socially, international groups are good to meet people at first, but don’t be afraid to talk to people after lectures and seminars to meet locals.
So now I have been in Nottingham for about two weeks. Things have settled down, and I am getting into the swing of life here. Personally, I have realized and been surprised by how comfortable it all feels to me. Despite the best efforts of the cold, penetrating winds and persistent drizzle, I have felt a certain coziness in Nottingham.
Part of Notingham city centre
Since the last post, I have had my orientation as an international student, registered for modules (classes), and attended lectures and seminars for those modules for a little over a week. I’m going to give you a run-down of the process of orientation because beforehand I was quite confused, and I’d like you not to have to worry like I did.
Jubilee Campus: free hopper buses run between this and the main campus
On Monday, we were assigned a time period to come pick up our orientation materials. This included an itinerary, many pamphlets about the University and International Department, and a course registration paper. The itinerary told us that we were supposed to attend an information/welcome session later that day, which was mildly helpful, but not too important (most of it was geared towards students who didn’t speak English as their first language).
Alternatively, you can take this quaint, but lengthy stroll between campuses
The most useful aspect of orientation was getting the module sign-up process explained. Basically, you have to write the codes for the modules you want to take on the paper, and then take the paper to the departments that offer those courses. We were also given a list of each department’s location and module-registration times. As soon as you get your modules approved from the department and know the time and location of the module, you can go to the lectures and seminars, but we weren’t allowed to turn in our form to the International Office until the end of the week.
House located along Derby Road
I managed to register for all the classes I want/need to take. I have enrolled in four modules this semester: two focusing on the Medieval time period, one on the history of pirates, and a German language course. I only missed the first week lectures for my Medieval Britain module. Thankfully, I didn’t miss too much because the professor put his PowerPoints online.
So far, it seems like there is a bunch of reading to do for the modules here, especially if you take a Level 2 or 3 module. It should be fine, though, because I won’t be bogged down with frequent graded assignments. Most modules only have two graded assignments the whole semester: one essay and one exam. FYI: 10 UK credits = 3 US credit hours.
Make sure to try tea and pastries at one of the many cafes in town
After orientation and module sign-ups, there is only one more step to go through to become official: student registration. I was apprehensive because I wasn’t sure of the visa process, but everything turned out just fine and done in less than five minutes. I just had to show give the person my passport and acceptance letter. When we got our passports stamped in Manchester, we had to present our Nottingham acceptance letters to show we were actually approved to study here. Apparently, if you go through this process, you are given a temporary (6 month) study allowance without any further need for a visa. If you are studying here longer than 6 months, you will need to apply for an actual study visa.
Derby Road
So, to wrap up orientation week, don’t worry too much about attending class: the professors aware of the international student process. If you really want to, just figure out your modules early and attend them of your own accord.
Wollaton Hall: a nice, free way to spend an afternoon
Now on to the fun stuff! I am going to London this weekend, which I am super excited about, but I am really thankful that I have not gone anywhere yet. I think spending the first two weekends in Nottingham was just right to experience the city and meet new friends. So far, I have made friends at events with my fellow international students, but I also made some friends by meeting with the AmeriCan Soc (club). The AmeriCan Soc hosted a breakfast to meet international students from the USA, but they themselves are mostly UK students studying American & Canadian Studies at the University. It’s a good way to make friends with locals who are interested to hear about your life back in the US!
Wollaton Hall again
As far as sights, there is of course Nottingham Castle in the city centre, but don’t miss out on Wollaton Hall and Park (it’s free) located across the street from campus! Especially if you are into Downton Abbey, but Highclere Castle is either too pricey or booked out, then Wollaton Hall is for you. Additionally, Newstead Abbey, the spectacular home of the poet Lord Byron, is just a quick bus ride away from the city. Always be on the lookout for free events (there are plenty put on by the city). If you are into football (soccer), local team Nottingham Forest has a great venue next to the river with decent ticket prices.
The City Ground: home of Nottingham Forest FC
So I hope that gives you a little bit more of an idea of settling in to life at UoN and you find it helpful!
Hello to those of you interested in studying at Nottingham and anyone else who happens to stumble on my blog! My name is Andrew and I’m a student at the College of Charleston, but for a semester I am studying abroad with my girlfriend, Tori, through an exchange program at the University of Nottingham. I study Historic Preservation and Community Planning at CofC, but I have been placed in the History department here at Nottingham.
With this blog, I hope to bring an exciting and informative account of my semester, so that you can be better prepared than I was for studying abroad! Today is January 24, a Sunday. Tomorrow is the first official day of the semester. We arrived here on the 23rd (even though student housing didn’t open until the 24th) in order to have time to get situated in my accommodation and acclimated to the time difference before the semester starts.
The week before I left, I started waking up 30 minutes earlier each day to prepare myself for the time change, and so that I would be super tired and forced to sleep on the overnight plane ride. Sadly, the plane was just too uncomfortable, and I only managed about an hour of fitful sleep. I flew in to Manchester Airport because it was the cheapest to fly into, but that was before I was notified that UoN had arranged discounted transportation from about 5 different London airports (Heathrow included), Birmingham, and East-Midlands (regional airport of Nottingham). Had I known that sooner, I probably would have been able to plan better, but we still made it to Nottingham with relatively little stress. We took a bus (much cheaper than trains here) into the city of Manchester, and then took another bus to Nottingham, but the long layovers (we had to wait 5 hours in total) were killer, considering how little sleep we were running on.
The bus took us through the Peak District, and the bits that I saw between dozing off were gorgeous! Lots of hills, sheep, stone walls, and little old towns! Finally, nine hours after we landed, we arrived at Broadmarsh Station in Nottingham. We walked from there to Igloo Hybrid (a hostel I had booked before I left), which I would highly recommend to anyone needing a place to stay! Check with your student housing first because we found out too late that we could stay an extra night there for only £20. I walked around the city center (which was mostly a pedestrian zone and full of people, despite it being cold and rainy) and had dinner at a restaurant where you actually order at the bar first, then tell them where you are sitting so that they can bring it to you (I think this might be common, but it’s too early to tell you for certain).The next morning we had breakfast at Cafe Nero (read: English Starbucks).
We asked for normal coffee and the waitress looked funny at us and said “You mean a Cafe Americano?” which is just water and espresso, which is really just what normal coffee is, so we took it. We then took a bus for £1 each to Broadgate Park, where we are staying for the semester. It is a student community located just outside the campus (which is freaking huge btw-I think it could fit CofC’s entire campus in the space leading to the first building).
Our Room
We have a Twin Studio room together with 2 twin beds (most housing here is 1 bed per room), a kitchenette (with a stove, sink, and small fridge), and a super small bathroom all to ourselves.
We spent most of today getting things like cookware, food, and bedding for our room from the Sainsbury (like an upscale Walmart) in Beeston, which is a really nice little town not even 5 minutes from Broadgate.
Beeston
After we got settled, we went to lunch at Rye, which is a really nice local cafe in Beeston (it serves everything: coffee, tea, beer, wine, cocktails, paninis, and lots of other food items). There, we got to talking to a regular, who gave us our own personal audio tour of sites, stores, and restaurants in Nottingham and Beeston, and he promised to make a list to give us next time he sees us in there. After we explored the extent of Beeston, we went and walked around campus for a while as it got dark (it gets dark about 5pm) to aquaint ourselves to where we have to go tomorrow for orientation, and strolled back past the Arts Center and along the campus lake just admiring the views.
Cafe Nero
Overall, I think the people here have been very friendly, but we have been yelled at a couple times (more like talked loudly to) by drunk men. I am excited to finally get the academic side of things sorted out because Email communication with Nottingham has been atrocious so far. Tomorrow is our orientation and registration, but Tori is actually supposed to have a class during the same time… Also, you need a visa to complete registration. We had been told to get a visa on arrival, but I would recommend applying online beforehand (something I regret not looking into further), which you can do 3 months prior, leaving yourself 3 weeks for the processing time. Anyway… hoping that we can take classes and figure out how we are going to get our visas. After tomorrow, things should become more clear.
The bus took us through the Peak District, and the bits that I saw between dozing off were gorgeous! Lots of hills, sheep, stone walls, and little old towns! Finally, nine hours after we landed, we arrived at Broadmarsh Station in Nottingham. We walked from there to Igloo Hybrid (a hostel I had booked before I left), which I would highly recommend to anyone needing a place to stay! Check with your student housing first because we found out too late that we could stay an extra night there for only £20. I walked around the city center (which was mostly a pedestrian zone and full of people, despite it being cold and rainy) and had dinner at a restaurant where you actually order at the bar first, then tell them where you are sitting so that they can bring it to you (I think this might be common, but it’s too early to tell you for certain).The next morning we had breakfast at Cafe Nero (read: English Starbucks).
Chronicles of Nottingham 